Barbaro

[tanner12oz]

I highly doubt a thorough examination was done...gave him a quick once over and back in the gate. Pretty sure the threshold for late scratches on the big time tv races is waaaay higher then your typical maiden claimer. Jeez the only really big late scratch I can even remember in a big race is quality road in the cup a few years back. Lots of cash on the line, tv obligations, all have a part in the quick but probably not thorough exams. No clue if he was hurt or not but it was a bizarre sequence of events. I was at the track that day and it was an ominous feeling. Bernardini ended up being a great horse but it all all about the derby winner that day.

[RollerDoc]

Originally Posted by tanner12oz

I highly doubt a thorough examination was done...gave him a quick once over and back in the gate. Pretty sure the threshold for late scratches on the big time tv races is waaaay higher then your typical maiden claimer. Jeez the only really big late scratch I can even remember in a big race is quality road in the cup a few years back. Lots of cash on the line, tv obligations, all have a part in the quick but probably not thorough exams. No clue if he was hurt or not but it was a bizarre sequence of events. I was at the track that day and it was an ominous feeling. Bernardini ended up being a great horse but it all all about the derby winner that day.

Wow, can't imagine what it would have been like to be there that day. I just had a bad feeling after the false start.

Not nearly as high profile as the Quality Road scratch you mentioned but in the 2008 Belmont, Casino Drive (believed to be the biggest competition to Big Brown) scratched the morning of the race.

[tanner12oz]

Morning of is 10000x different then in the gate

[ElPrado]

There was a story in Bloodhorse that showed, with pics, that Big Brown was running with a loose rear shoe in the Belmont. He was run into from behind just after the break. That probably had something to do with his Belmont performance.

[Indian Charlie]

I thought barbaro was the most talented horse in a long long time. If I could design a race horse, it would be very close to him.

[my miss storm cat]

Originally Posted by RollerDoc

Why was he "medically" allowed to run after that? Does anyone have a take on this?

I just wanted to point out what happened with poor Horatio Nelson in the Epsom Derby back in 2006.

As the field was about to load Kieren Fallon was obviously and outwardly concerned about his horse. The track vet and AOB glanced at Horatio Nelson VERY briefly and gave the green light.

He broke down during the race.

Now I don't want to seem like a hand-wringing nutcase (or as if I'm implying that they couldn't have cared less... it's just that the look over was so incredibly brief) but yeah...sometimes things happen in racing that make you wonder if, when certain events like breaking through a gate or a jockey not being comfortable occur, if maybe there shouldn't be some kind of protocol in place for what aught to happen next.

A very sad part of the sport and I am not meaning to get preachy or anything here... just remembering. That's all.

[ElPrado]

Vets are not xray machines. They also don't have one sitting by the starting gate. You can't really blame the vets for what happened to Barbaro. He probably did not have any visible lameness. Horses get excited before racing. If he was injured, he wasn't showing anything.

[RollerDoc]

Originally Posted by Indian Charlie

I thought barbaro was the most talented horse in a long long time. If I could design a race horse, it would be very close to him.

While I marvel Big Brown's 2008 Derby , even I can admit that Barbaro is the best 3 year old I have seen since 2004 or at least the best Kentucky Derby performance I have seen. Indian Charlie, you are right, he would be a great one to design.

Originally Posted by tanner12oz

I highly doubt a thorough examination was done...gave him a quick once over and back in the gate. Pretty sure the threshold for late scratches on the big time tv races is waaaay higher then your typical maiden claimer. Jeez the only really big late scratch I can even remember in a big race is quality road in the cup a few years back. Lots of cash on the line, tv obligations, all have a part in the quick but probably not thorough exams. No clue if he was hurt or not but it was a bizarre sequence of events. I was at the track that day and it was an ominous feeling. Bernardini ended up being a great horse but it all all about the derby winner that day.

Track veterinarians don't care if the race is on NBC or a 4k claimer at GGF. They are there to assure a horse, to the best of their ability, appears to be racing sound.

While I agree the percentages are low. Horses do win after breaking through the gate. I expect the incidence of breakdowns is no higher as a result.

Further, if this is a worry, what about horses that thrash about in the gate while waiting? Vet's routinely will back them out and have a look. Should they all be scratched as well?

What happened to Barbaro was so sad and tragic. We all feel horrible. He was a special favorite of mine having won the Florida Derby.

But as the great Hyman Roth so accurately said. " This is the life we have chosen"

RIP

[Danzig]

Originally Posted by v j stauffer

Track veterinarians don't care if the race is on NBC or a 4k claimer at GGF. They are there to assure a horse, to the best of their ability, appears to be racing sound.

While I agree the percentages are low. Horses do win after breaking through the gate. I expect the incidence of breakdowns is no higher as a result.

Further, if this is a worry, what about horses that thrash about in the gate while waiting? Vet's routinely will back them out and have a look. Should they all be scratched as well?

What happened to Barbaro was so sad and tragic. We all feel horrible. He was a special favorite of mine having won the Florida Derby.

But as the great Hyman Roth so accurately said. " This is the life we have chosen"

RIP

Agree.
And its not just the vet looking him over. There's a pro horseman on his back.

http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-raci...-starting-gate

Also, keep in mind barbaro was inspected all over during the time after he broke thru. TV didn't see all of that happening, because during the time he was moving back to the gate, the network reshowed him going thru the gate.